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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A section of Karimojong elders in Napak and Nabilatuk districts have recommended to government to revive the electronic animal branding, a practice which was taking root ten years back.
According to the elders, the electronic animals branding had stopped cattle rustling in Karamoja.
The elders made the recommendation on Saturday at the inter-district security meeting between Napak and Nabilatuk, held at Lorengedwat sub county in Nabilatuk district.
Their call follows the resurgence of cattle rustling that has seen the army and the Karimojong warriors clashing on daily basis, something that had ended ten years back.
In 2012, government through the initiative of the First Lady Janet Museveni who was then Minister of Karamoja Affairs launched electronic cattle branding with the aim to get rid of cattle rustling in Karamoja region.
The project costed government shs 2 billion where by a total of 100,000 cattle were branded and 112,000 cattle remained unbranded due to lack of funds.
How it works.
The animal is given to swallow electronic boluses with all the details of the owner, village, parish, sub county and district, and once that animal is raided and recovered from any other district, it will be detected using the computer stick.
The branded animal could also be tracked using the chip when its being driven by the rustlers to other locations.
Mathew Lokong, an elder and a resident of Nabilatuk said the project had scared cattle rustlers from raiding animals because most of the animals had sensors and it was very easy for security to trace the animals and the rustlers.
“We need the government to revive that project and if possible let President Museveni send us back his wife again since she’s the one who came up with that idea,” he said.
Marino Logit, another elder from Lotome sub county in Napak district said the branded animals were very easy to identify even when they are raided.
“There was no speculations where people could come and claim an animal that doesn’t belong to them because all the details for the animal owner would be shown to everyone by the electronic chip,” he said.
He said the cattle rustlers have resumed raiding after noticing that most of the animals that were electronically branded had been sold while others have been slaughtered.
“The animals that are being raided now were by then calves and could not swallow the boluses and they were not branded, how I wish that program could be revived as it would save the animals population in the region,” Logit added.
Mr. Jimmy Tebanyang, the district LC V councilor for Ngoleriet sub county in Napak district who also doubles as the district NRM chairperson of Napak agreed with the elders saying the exercise needs to be revived.
He said ten years back when peace returned in Karamoja after government collecting guns from the hands of the warriors, Karamoja animals had become healthy because they were not being disturbed running hundreds of kilometers with raiders.
“Before Karamoja became peaceful, animals in Karamoja could run more than 300 kilometers with different raiders, giving them stress since they don’t allow animals to have time to eat, drink water and even rest thus becoming emaciated,” he said. “Until recently, our animals had became healthy and the selling prices had also gone up but now the situation has become horrible again.”
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